Can opener



y 1946- P. T. SIMMONS 2,403,959

CAN OPENER Fi led Aug. 25, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 jmfiy m E46. P. T. SIMMONS 2,40

CAN OPENER I Filed Aug. 25, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Pa rker ITS/M2104 Patented July 16, 1946 UNlTED STATES PATENT OFFICE CAN OPENER Parker T. Simmons, San Francisco, Calif.

Application August 25, 1944, Serial No. 551,151

3 Claims. 1

This invention relates to a can opener, and has for the primary object the provision of a device of this character which 'will efiiciently open a can close to where an end wall thereof joins the side walls and entirely remove the end wall without leaving jagged portion on the can which might endanger a person when removing the contents of the can.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a can opener embodying a rotary cutter and a rotary feed wheel, one driven by the other, so that the can while being severed by the cutter will be caused to move or travel relative to said cutter for presenting uncut portions of the can thereto until the can is completely opened or the severing operation discontinued.

A further object of this invention is the provision of means for the support of the cutter and the feed wheel and which will permit separation thereof to allow a can to be easily placed in and removed from the cutter and the feed wheel.

With these and other objects in view as will become more apparent as the description proceeds, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

For a complete understanding of my invention, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a front elevation, partly in section, illustrating a can opener constructed in accordance with my invention and showing a can being severed thereby.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary side elevation illustrating the device and the association of the can therewith.

Figure 3 is a View similar to Figure 2 showing the opposite side of the device.

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 44 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 3, partly in section, illustrating the gears partly in mesh ready to feed the cutter into full cutting position.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the numeral Ill indicate a vertically arranged rigid supporting bar, the lower end portion thereof being disposed at right angles thereto, to provide an abutment H for a vertical wall of a can [2 to engage. The upper end of the bar I is apertured to receive a bolt l3 actin as a pivot for the upper end of a lever If). The bar I 0 is offset intermediate its ends to position the lever l when in a depending position in substantial alignment with the lower portion of said bar.

A rotary cutter l6 and a gear 11 are placed against each other with the hub openings thereof in alignment and which openings have angularly related walls to match the faces of a sleeve 22 extending therethrough for establishing a driving connection between said gear and the cutter. The sleeve .22 is journaled on a bolt 18 secured to the lever and which has its head 23 countersunk in the lever, as at 24, to prevent striking thereof against the .bar I] during swinging movement of the lever. The bolt has a nut 20 for the retention of the sleeve along with the cutter thereon, and which permits easy removal thereof when desired. The rotary cutter includes a .beveled serrated face for curling the severed portion of the can inwardly of said can as the severing operation takes place. The

rotary cutter further includes .an annular groove 2| to receive the bead of the can as the cutting edge of the cutter penetrates the end wall of the can.

Operating below the cutter l6 and gear H, is a substantially conical shaped feed wheel 25 provided with serrations and a drive gear 21, the hubs of which are aligned to receive a drive shaft 32 ,journaled in the lower portion of the bar It].

The hubs of the wheel and the gear have similar angular central openings to match a :correspondingly shaped shaft 32. A head 28 is formed. on the shaft and is countersunk in the feed wheel, as shown at 29, to allow the latter to lie close to the can without interference from the shaft.

A crank handle 35 having a hand grip 36 is pinned on the shaft with a spacer 3| arranged on the shaft between said crank handle and the supporting bar l0.

Integral with the bar l0 are attaching arms 39, that may be secured in any suitable way to a support, such as the wall of a room.

An arm 40 is secured to the supporting bar I 0 and includes a compound curvature, providing stop portions 4| and 42. The bead of a can is adapted to abut against the stop portion 42 for limiting the depth of cut of the cutter on the top wall of the can. It is to be noted that when the cutter is in full cutting position, the cutting edge of the cutter overlaps the feed wheel 25 with the vertical wall of the can therebetween and with the bead of said can received within the annular groove 2| of the cutter.

The teeth of the gears l7 and 21 are of considerable length so that said gears may have driving connection with each other when the cutter is in position, as shown in Figure 5, with the cuttin edge resting on the top wall of the can and with the lever swung laterally of the supporting bar l0, so that on rotation of the gear 21 by the crank handle in the direction of the arrow in Figure 5, the gear I! will be caused to rotate in the direction indicated by the arrow in said Figure 5. This brings about a swinging movement of the lever 15 in the direction indicated by the arrow in Figure 5, forcing the cutting edge of the cutter through the top wall of the can, This swinging movement of the lever in the direction specified continues until said lever abuts the stop portion 4|, whence the cutter has assumed a full cutting position in relation to the can, as shown in Figure 1.

The rotation of the gears is continued as specified until the cutter has severed the top wall entirely from the can close to the bead thereof. The operator then swings the lever rearwardly and upwardly, removing the cutter and its companion gear I! away from the can. During the cutting operation the feed wheel 25 is rotated as well as the cutter which moves the can relative to the cutter continuously presenting uncut portions of the can to the cutter. When the cutter is in full cutting position and the feed wheel 25 is against the can, as shown in Figure 1, along with the portion H of the bar 10, the cutter and wheel have a wedging grip on the can sufiicient to prevent the same from becoming free of the cutter, thus eliminating the strain on the. operator of retaining the can in position of cutting.

It is to be understood that when the lever has been swung rearwardly and upwardly the can can be easily removed from the device and another placed therein.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings it will be seen that after a can has been arranged in or on the device with the cutter contacting the top wall of the can by gravitation the gears are in mesh so that it is only necessary to rotate the crank handle to bring about penetration of the top wall by the cutter and the latter into full cutting position with the lever against the stop portion 4|, obviating the necessity of the operator having to shove the cutter initially through the top wall of the can in starting the cutting operation.

While I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that minor changes in construction, combination and arrangement of parts may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

What I, claim is:

1. In a can opener, a Vertical rigid bar including an abutment to be engaged by the side of a can, means for supporting said bar, a lever pivoted on said bar above said abutment, a rotary cutter and gear having driving connection with 'each other journaled on said lever, a shaft journaled on said bar between said abutment and said lever, a feed wheel and gear secured on said shaft with the latter-named gear meshable, the first named gear being placed in mesh with the last named gear when said lever is swung downwardly to force the cutter into cutting engagement with the top of the can, a crank handle secured to said shaft, and an arm secured to the bar and including stop portions, one of which is adapted to be engaged by the lever in its lowered position and the other by the can.

2. In a can opener, a vertical rigid bar, means for supporting said bar, an abutment on said bar to be engaged by a can, a lever pivoted on the bar for swinging movement, a rotary cutter including a cutting edge and a serrated beveled face and annular groove, a gear having driving connection with said cutter and both mounted for rotation on the lever, a shaft journaled on said bar, a feed wheel and gear having driving connection with each other secured to said shaft with the latternamed gear meshable with the other gear, a crank handle secured to said shaft, said feed wheel having a beveled serrated face to contact the bead of a can.

3. In a can opener, a vertical rigid bar, means for supporting said bar, an abutment on said bar to be engaged by a can, a lever pivoted on the bar for swinging movement, a rotary cutter including a cutting edge and a serrated beveled face and annular groove, agear having driving connection with said cutter and both mounted for rotation on the lever, a shaft journaled on said bar, a feed wheel and gear having driving connection with each other secured to said shaft with the latter-riamed gear meshable with the other gear, a crank handle secured to said shaft. said feed wheel having a beveled serrated face to contact the bead of a can, an arm secured to the bar and including stop portions one to be engaged by said lever and the other by the bead. of the can.

PARKER T. SIMA ONES. 

